Five Primary Character Archetypes

Learn about a story’s Family of Characters in my upcoming one-week online course which begins Monday, February 13th.

There are TWO SPECIAL OFFERS including how to receive a gift: A personally autographed copy of my book The Protagonist’s Journey! See below!

In a screenplay, characters exist for a reason. Unlike a novel, a writer doesn’t have unlimited time to introduce characters willy nilly, rather the limitations of a script’s length compels us to handle characters with one eye always on how they connect to the plot. Moreover almost all movies feature a Protagonist who goes through some sort of metamorphosis. As a result, it’s almost certain all of the primary and even secondary characters in a story tie into and support the Protagonist’s transformation.

All of this translates into a 3rd essential screenwriting principle I teach in the Core curriculum:

Character = Function

This may sound reductionist. It is precisely the opposite. Much like an actor asks, “What’s my motivation,” digging down into the core of their character’s persona, so, too, do we as screenwriters delve into characters to determine what their core essence is and how that plays out in terms of their respective narrative functions. Once we make those discoveries, we can shape our characters in unlimited ways, all the while playing to how they function in relation to the narrative.

That is the starting point of Core III: Character, a 1-week online class I will be teaching starting on Monday, February 12th.

OVERVIEW

In this 1-week online course, you will learn about five primary archetypes — Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster — which you can use to develop your characters into multidimensional individuals, each with their own distinct connection to your story.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

The universality of character archetypes, the Protagonist’s tie to story structure, Nemesis as opposition, Attractor and Mentor as different ally types, Trickster as plot shapeshifter, different Protagonist paradigms, the Switch Protagonist exercise, and much more.

COURSE DETAILS

• Six lectures written by Scott Myers
• Special insider tips
• 24/7 online forum discussions moderated by instructor
• Writing exercises with peer feedback
• 90-minute live teleconference with me as your host
• Logline workshop

We will analyze a whole host of movies including The Wizard of Oz, The Apartment, The Silence of the Lambs, Slumdog Millionaire, Citizen Kane, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Life Is Beautiful, and many more.

For those of you who have not taken an online class, the interface is extremely easy. Plus, online classes can be an amazing experience. Most of the activities you can do on your own time — download and read lectures, review and respond to forum discussions, upload loglines and track comments. In addition, I’ve been teaching online for over a decade and it never ceases to amaze me how much of a community emerges in such an environment.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

Screenwriters, TV writers, novelists, and playwrights who want to empower their writing and enrich their characters through the use of archetypes.

TESTIMONIAL

“Spending a week focusing on and learning about character archetypes was invaluable for me.”

~ Bob Corsi

BENEFITS OF THE ONLINE EXPERIENCE

• Access courses anytime and anywhere on your computer, tablet or smartphone.
• Learn the craft amidst a supportive, lively, and fun online community from around the world.
• Receive feedback from instructors who know the business and have a passion for teaching.

I only teach my Core classes once a year and the 2024 cycle begins next month. Everything you need to know about character-driven screenwriting in this unique curriculum based on eight principles: Plot, Concept, Character, Style, Dialogue, Scene, Theme, Time.

CORE I: PLOT — A one-week class which begins with the principle Plot = Structure and explores the inner workings of the Screenplay Universe: Plotline and Themeline. Start date: January 15. [Already run / course site available]

CORE II: CONCEPT — A one-week class which begins with the principle Concept = Hook and examines multiple strategies to generate, develop and assess story ideas. Start date: January 29.

CORE III: CHARACTER — A one-week class which begins with the principle Character = Function and delves into archetypes: Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, and Trickster. Start date: February 12.

CORE IV: STYLE — A one-week class which begins with the principle Style = Voice and surfaces keys to developing a distinctive writer’s personality on the page. Start date: February 26.

CORE V: DIALOGUE — A one-week class which begins with the principle Dialogue = Purpose and probes a variety of ways to write effective, entertaining dialogue. Start date: March 11.

CORE VI: SCENE — A one-week class which begins with the principle Scene = Point and provides six essential questions to ask when crafting and writing any scene. Start date: March 25.

CORE VII: THEME — A one-week class which begins with the principle Theme = Meaning and gives writers a concrete take on theme which can elevate the depth of any story. Start date: April 8.

CORE VIII: TIME — A one-week class which begins with the principle Time = Present and studies Present, Present-Past, Present-Future and time management in writing. Start date: April 22.

These eight Core classes represent decades of my work on the front lines of the entertainment business as a writer and producer, and engaging the craft as a teacher as well, over time pulling together a coherent, comprehensive, and cohesive approach to screenwriting theory.

This is not about secret systems or magic formulas, rather the Core content presents a story-crafting process that starts with characters, works with characters, and ends with characters. That process of engaging you with your story universe through your characters and getting you in touch with these living, breathing individuals informs every step of your creative process, leading you to story structure, themes, conflict, subplots, and all the rest. As I say, Character Driven Screenwriting.

SPECIAL OFFER #1: This cycle, a special sale price. Normally the Core classes are $95 each. In 2024, each is on sale for $79!

A popular option is the Core Package which gives you exclusive access to the content in all eight Craft classes which you can go through on your own time and at your own pace, plus automatic enrollment in each 1-week online course — all for nearly 50% off the normal price of each individual class. If you sign up now, you can have immediate access to all of the Core content.

“Joining Scott’s Core classes is one of the best decisions anyone could make when deciding to embark on the journey of writing a screenplay. His passion for teaching and screenwriting could not be more inspirational. I couldn’t wish for a better teacher and mentor!” — Theodora von Auersperg

Imagine not only learning all of the Core content, but also talking with me and other writers every other week for an hour or more in live Zoom teleconferences. If you sign up for the Core Package, you get all that… and more!

SPECIAL OFFER #2: This year, when you enroll in the Core Package, I will send you a personally autographed copy of my book: The Protagonist’s Journey … my gift to you!

“Scott is a brilliant guide for anyone looking to get into screenwriting.”

— Lisa Joy, Westworld, Reminiscence

My book is an introduction to character-driven screenwriting and storytelling. The Core curriculum takes you much deeper into the subject matter and touches on all the key principles you need to know to elevate your screenwriting chops.

For The Core Package and a free autographed copy of The Protagonist’s Journey, the 5-star rated Amazon #1 Best Seller in Film & Television, go here.

For information on Core III: Character, which begins February 12th, go here.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!